‘The Devil All the Time’ is an amazing 2020 American movie that is a psychological thriller film directed by Antonio Campos, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Paulo Campos.
It is actually based on the novel of the same name by Donald Ray Pollock, who also serves as the film’s narrator. The outstanding cast includes Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Harry Melling, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson, whose characters’ stories weave together.
It was released on Netflix on the 16th of September 2020. It then received mixed reviews from critics but also received praise majorly for the performances of Holland and Pattinson.
What ‘The Devil All The Time’ Is About
It is a story of multiple generations impacted by violence in the heartland of America. It chronicles how faith and evil often intertwine through the years as men of the cloth commit heinous crimes and their allegedly loyal flock confuse issues of life and death.
Shot on film, which was one of Campos’ smartest decisions. It has a dirty, tactile sense about it, and will be several shades too grim and grotesque for some viewers. This is dark, dark stuff—the story of various families impacted by murder and tragedy.
It is also a story of fathers and sons. Willard Russell returns home to Knockemstiff, Ohio from World War II, carrying the heavy weight of PTSD. His particular trauma has been melded with faith in part because of the day he came upon a man in the Pacific theater of the war who had literally been crucified, his bloody body still barely alive on a cross. When Willard looks up at the cross in the woods outside his house, one senses he can still see horror in an image of faith.
Willard’s son is Arvin, and the first section of the film takes place when Arvin is nine. Arvin’s mother Charlotte gets sick and themes of the line between life and death and the rituals of faith work into the narrative even more distinctly. Willard teaches Arvin to respond to violence with violence, and even to believe that sacrifice may be the answer.
What Can Be Said About ‘The Devil All The Time’
Everyone is truly a sinner in ‘The Devil All the Time’ and with very few exceptions, nearly every character is either predator or prey. It can be seen as a stark collection of vignettes about violence and religion in the heart of the country. It is vicious and cruel in ways that will make a lot of viewers feel engaged with the movie.
This movie also has a great extensive voiceover narration, which is provided by none other than the author of the original novel, Pollock. His dry, sardonic observations bring a rich authenticity to this dark and unnerving story, set in a part of the country he clearly knows well.
Sources: YouTube Netflix.